The New York Yankees had everything set up for a perfect start to their postseason run. Their marquee offseason free agent acquisition, Max Fried, was brilliant in Tuesday night’s Wild Card Series opener against the Boston Red Sox, firing 6.1 scoreless innings that gave the Yankees a real shot at stealing momentum. For six innings, it looked like the Yankees were on their way to a statement win.
Then, as has been the story far too often this season, the bullpen door swung open—and so did the floodgates.
Luke Weaver, the first reliever out of the gate, quickly unraveled. David Bednar later added to the damage, and what should have been a hard-earned Yankees victory crumbled into a 3-1 defeat. Instead of celebrating Fried’s brilliance, New York now stares at elimination on Wednesday night.
Max Fried delivers when it mattered most
Fried was everything the Yankees hoped for when they brought him in to bolster a shaky rotation. His poise, command, and ability to neutralize Boston’s lineup were on full display. The left-hander scattered just four hits, struck out six, and looked in complete control until Aaron Boone made the move in the seventh.
You could feel the air sucked out of the dugout when Fried was lifted. The Red Sox hitters looked relieved, and for good reason. When Fried exited, Boston finally saw life. For the Yankees, that moment will haunt them if this series doesn’t turn around.
Boone’s bullpen gamble backfires
This loss didn’t come down to one bad pitch—it came down to a decision. Boone’s call to turn to Weaver, who limped into October with a 9.64 ERA in September, was always going to draw scrutiny. The right-hander didn’t last long before Boston pounced.
Some will argue Boone should have trusted Fried to finish the inning, or gone to Devin Williams, Camilo Doval, or even leaned heavily on Bednar earlier. But truthfully, none of those choices come without risk. Every name in this bullpen has battled inconsistency at some point this season. Boone was picking his poison, and on Tuesday, he chose wrong.
It’s like relying on a frayed rope to pull you up a mountain—you can argue which strand looks the strongest, but none inspire much confidence.
A season-long weakness exposed
The reality is this: the Yankees’ bullpen has been a liability for months. Since the All-Star break, their relievers have posted a 4.78 ERA, ranking 26th out of 30 MLB teams. That kind of performance doesn’t just vanish when October arrives.
Weaver, Williams, Doval, Bednar, Mark Leiter Jr., Tim Hill—every one of them has had nights that made Boone hesitate when reaching for the phone in the dugout. Yes, the manager’s decisions deserve criticism, but the bigger issue is that too many arms in this pen simply haven’t delivered when the stage gets big.
All eyes on Carlos Rodón
Now the season falls squarely on Carlos Rodón. The left-hander was outstanding in the regular season, finishing with a 3.09 ERA and 203 strikeouts, and he has the kind of fire that can reset a series. He’ll need to be the stopper Wednesday night, especially with Garrett Crochet no longer looming as Boston’s weapon on the mound.
Still, Rodón can’t be expected to do it all. Even if he shoves for seven innings, someone will have to record those final six outs. And if the bullpen doesn’t find a backbone, this October run will be over before it ever truly begins.
The fragile line between survival and collapse
The Yankees entered October knowing their bullpen was their Achilles’ heel. In Game 1, it was laid bare for the entire baseball world to see. Fried did his part. The offense also deserves blame, but when the game shifted to the relievers, Boston didn’t hesitate to take advantage.
For the Yankees, the path is now simple: win behind Rodón, or go home. And if they’re fortunate enough to force a decisive Game 3, the bullpen must finally prove it can hold the rope. Otherwise, a season filled with promise could end in heartbreak at the hands of their oldest rival.
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